home for the hallidays
by shel
Summary: happily married to coop, phoebe spends christmas with both her husband and cole...
1. part 1

**CHARMED**

"**Home for the Hallidays"**

by shel

© december 2010

_disclaimer: the charmed ones, cole, and leo, and the rest of the cast of characters we've come to know and love, belong to spelling television, inc. and possible other copyright holders. i intended no true infringement on their copyrights; i only wanted to borrow these marvelous characters for a short time in my own scenarios and hopefully return them no worse for wear; the only things i've gained from this story are the satisfaction and pleasure of having written it and in knowing that others may have enjoyed it too…_

_rating: pg-13_

_summary: happily married to coop, phoebe spends christmas with both her husband and cole…_

_timeline: December 31, 2010 (nearly 4½ years after the finale)…_

_archive: please don't without expressed permission…_

_notes: i actually began writing this tale a year ago, december 2009, in anticipation of last year's holiday season but real-life and lack of inspiration for the muse relegated it to back burner until now…there is some specific reference to s4's 'enter the demon' and s7's 'seven year witch'…let me know if you enjoyed my tale and why and, if not, why not…and, please, don't bother wasting your time or mine by sending any flames…_

_**December 25, 2010 ~ Christmas Morning**_

Phoebe's groan at being jabbed in her lower back by a fist was drowned out by the shrieks filling the room. "We can't be under attack, the wards would have alerted us," she muttered with her eyes closed.

"And yet we seem surrounded," her husband conceded with a sigh as he propped himself up on one elbow and faced her. "Can you manage or would you like some help this time?"

"Considering that a certain Cupid kept me up most of the night," she frowned, "a little help would be nice." And before he could retort about her having been a most willing and eager partner that night, she quickly rolled over to grab the closest attacker and began the tickle torture.

"Stop, Momma, stop!" Carys, the two-year old, pleaded amid giggles.

"Do you ladybugs have any idea what time it is?" Phoebe demanded, trying to hide her smile while Coop had captured their three-year old in his arms.

"Christmas!" both girls shrieked. "Time for presents!"

"Get up, Daddy, get up," Charlotte whined, trying to tug herself free.

Coop kissed her head, "Give us a minute, love. Take Carys into the living room. Mommy and I will be right there."

Phoebe hugged her little one, smooching Carys's neck, and released the toddler. She smiled as the girls slid off their bed and ran hand-in-hand from the room. "Do not open any presents," she called out, "until Daddy and I get there."

"If they're _my_ daughters," she smiled, "there's gonna be at least three opened ones by the time we get there." She glanced at her husband and her heart pounded with love for him.

He opened his arms and drew her close to his chest. "Will I ever get used to the depth of love I feel from you?"

"I could say the same to you," she murmured, lightly kissing his bare chest. She tilted her chin up, meeting his gaze, "I'm not sure I ever truly believed I could have a life like this. Marry a man that completes me so or be a mommy to not one but two beautiful precious little girls? I thought love wasn't meant for me and I was happy enough to want danger and excitement and passion."

"Do we not have that, my love?" he questioned as he claimed her lips with his. He felt her smile and pulled back, pressing his index finger to her lips. "Yes, I know what you meant."

She nipped his fingertip and then ran her fingers through his hair. "I loved before you, Coop, deeply, passionately, in a way I thought was forever. You know that."

"I do," he agreed.

"But what I've found with you, the love I feel for you, that I feel _from_ you, makes me realize how much I was missing out on before. Maybe I needed some of that pain and heartache to make me want and appreciate what I have now." She kissed him again before taking her hand in his. Playing with their fingers, she whispered, "I can't deny my love for him or that a part of my heart still belongs to him and might, in a moment here or there, betray you by wishing it was different, because I _do_ know you can feel it. But," she suddenly clenched his fingers, "but I…I wish I could explain it right…"

Coop kissed the top or her head and assured her, "You don't have to, my love, I know. I'd know how you feel even if I wasn't your husband, connected to you in a way I never dreamed possible." He pulled his fingers free and traced her cheek with his finger, pausing to wipe away a tear. "He was such an important part of your life and helped form you to be the woman I fell in love with and I don't feel betrayed in the slightest by the love you still feel for him. I'm a Cupid and believe that one can always have room for more love in one's heart. And, as a powerful empath, _you_ know that to be true."

"I just love you so much," she whispered, "and it's times like this, the quiet times, a lull in demon attacks, just the usual sister squabbles, just the normal married life ups and downs…_this_ is when I get scared, so scared that it will all be taken away faster than I can blink. That I wasn't truly meant to be this happy."

"And it's times like this, when _I_ am here to tell you, you deserve every bit of this happiness and love." Coop lightly pressed his palms to the sides of her face, "You _are_ meant to be this happy, Phoebe. This isn't a dream; this isn't some alternate reality where you're not meant to be. I'm here and I love you and I love our daughters and we will continue building this special life for ourselves and our family."

"But -"

"Momma!"

"Daddy!"

"But," Phoebe slowly smiled, "nothing I guess. I'm letting my emotions get the best of me and I should be listening to," she cocked her head to the doorway, "the higher powers calling."

Coop smiled and led her from their bed and handed her a robe, "Then we'd better hurry before they declare war on us again. Now that I think about it, there might even be a present or two with the name 'Phoebe' waiting to be opened."

"Then what are we waiting for?" Phoebe excitedly asked as she yanked his hand and pulled him from the room.

"What?" Phoebe choked on the water she'd been in the middle of swallowing.

"Simple question, Pheebs," Piper shrugged. "Are. You. Pregnant?"

Phoebe was quickly mopping her chin and neck with a napkin, checking to see whether Coop had heard. But he was still helping his brothers-in-law clean up in the kitchen. "Why would you ask?"

"Could it be because of the mood swings you've been having these past couple of weeks?" Paige suggested.

"Or that you practically passed out when we opened our presents," Piper reasoned.

"I hadn't eaten yet," Phoebe explained, "I always eat too much when you cook holiday meals so I was saving room."

"What about when you nearly threw up all over the platters in the kitchen," Piper badgered. "You've been a shade of green all night."

"You know I hate liver and onions," Phoebe glared at her. "The smell alone makes me ill. How could you make it for Christmas dinner?"

"Dad loves it," Piper replied. "You know it reminds him of mom and since she couldn't be here this year…"

Phoebe tried not to gag and drank some more water. "I am _not_ pregnant," she declared.

"Then who's been sneaking from the chocolate stash?" Piper wondered.

Suddenly feeling both her sisters' eyes on her, Paige nearly choked on _her_ drink, "What're you looking at me for?"

"Anything you'd like to share?" Phoebe grinned.

"I'm not pregnant either," Paige quickly stated. "Henry and I aren't ready and we're happy enough practicing with all of yours." She nodded in the direction of the solarium as Phoebe's girls and Piper's nearly four-year old Melinda were vying for Victor's attention.

"And I guess now we know who's been sneaking the chocolate," Piper said with annoyance as she spied her oldest son unwrapping a bite-size bar.

"Chocolate." Paige smiled as it orbed into her hand and she popped it in her mouth.

"Aunt Paige!"

"Don't 'Aunt Paige' her," Piper called out. "You just had a slice of pie and four cookies for dessert after filling up on dinner. And we're going to talk later about sneaking sweets, Wyatt."

"Face it, Piper," Paige chuckled, "he's got the Whitelighter metabolism. Sweets are a necessity."

"Not helping," Piper swatted her youngest sister's arm.

"Can't believe you thought I was pregnant," Phoebe shook her head. "Don't you guys know I tell you everything?"

"Sometimes more than we want to know," Paige solemnly agreed.

Phoebe smirked at her younger sister who blew a kiss back at her. "Seriously. I'm starting "Finding Love" and with the column, well…Coop certainly wouldn't mind another baby but he understands that, for right now, I'd like to focus on my career. Besides, the girls are so close in age and so young. Charlie's barely potty-trained while Carys is still in diapers and I'm not sure I'm ready to start again with a new baby."

"So everything's okay?" Piper wondered with concern.

"It's just stress from work. And the quiet…" Phoebe admitted.

"Yeah, the lack of demonic attack sure is worrisome," Paige quipped with a roll of her eyes.

Piper glared at her, "Paige…"

Paige held her hands up in surrender, "Kidding…"

"You know what I mean," Phoebe nodded. "It's like the quiet before the storm. Almost every time we let our guard down at times like this…"

"We're not letting our guard down," Paige assured her, "just enjoying the respite."

"And it's holiday time so no more talk about demons," Piper ordered.

"Then here's to the Charmed Ones," Phoebe held up her glass and waited for her sisters to follow suit.

"And our growing family," Piper smiled.

"And white magic," Paige added.

"Merry Christmas," the toasted as they clinked their glasses.

A crash suddenly sounded from the kitchen and Piper grumbled, "That had better not have been Grams's casserole dish."

"Paige, get the kids!" Henry shouted from the kitchen.

"Wyatt! Protective shield for Chris, your grandfather, and cousins!" Phoebe yelled as she and Piper raced for the kitchen while Paige orbed into the solarium.

But just as they were about to reach the doorway, the door exploded in a burst of wood shards. They managed to duck out of the way to avoid serious injury and yelled out for their husbands.

"The Book," Leo called out, "there's at least one Stavler."

Phoebe grabbed Piper's hand and they raced up the stairs to the attic. A section of the banister blew up as they ran past but neither paid it any attention.

Piper slammed the attic door behind them and quickly drew their protection ward on the back of the door. "Paige ought to be here soon."

"All present and accounted for," Paige announced at that moment, orbing at Phoebe's side in front of the Book's stand.

"Any injuries?" Piper asked as she joined her sisters.

"Henry's fine. Coop had a nasty gash to his arm but Leo healed him. You okay?" she asked Phoebe.

"I feel him," Phoebe nodded, "I know it's not serious. But I'll be a lot happier once I see for myself."

"A Stavler doesn't sound familiar," Paige commented as Phoebe continued to flip pages. "Leo has gone _up there_ to find out what's going on."

"I don't recall ever seeing a page about them either," Phoebe said. "Leo have time to tell you anything?"

"Something about time travel, possibly," Paige sighed, "he wasn't sure."

"Great," Piper muttered as she watched the attic door, ready to use her power to protect her family.

"He said they're rare. There're never any witnesses left after an attack so there's not much information about them. He also said it's been at least two centuries since the last time an attack happened."

"Great," Piper repeated. "Our chances of them being in the Book has just dwindled to nil."

Phoebe glanced up to the ceiling. "A little help?"

But the pages didn't turn and Piper groaned, "Come on, it's Christmas!"

The door shuddered and Phoebe gasped. "It can't get through the ward, right?"

"Technically," Piper tensely replied.

Just then some pages turned and the girls waited to see what their help provided. "This isn't a Stavler," Phoebe realized.

"Maybe this," Paige started reading, "Cryptolus, is the closest thing in the Book."

"We need a Power of Three spell," Piper said, peering over their shoulders.

"Great," Phoebe mumbled, "they deal with time and space. We get too close, we could end up in 1862 or 3002."

"And Leo said there was more than one demon," Paige informed them. "He barely had time to recognize the Stavler."

"Considering the fact there's so little known about them," Phoebe mused, "it's amazing he recognized it. Is he sure?"

"Pretty sure."

"They are so gonna pay for ruining Christmas," Piper swore under her breath.

"What about my sweater," Phoebe complained. "This was the first time I wore it and it's ruined."

"Pheebs, you get to work on the spell," Piper directed. "Paige, go to Magic School, see if the library has anything about Stavlers and Cryptoluses. And I'll -"

Just then, the door exploded. Phoebe's head burned and she heard her sister shout Paige's name as her world turned black.

* * *

Phoebe, blood dripping from a cut to her temple, wrestled with the demon in the attic and ignored that her bathrobe had fallen open, revealing herself to him.

He leered at her and scraped her chin with a long talon from his claw-like appendage. But for that, he appeared a tall nearly devastatingly handsome human about her age.

And she grinned back at him, understanding that, as unintentional as it was, she had just provided herself with the perfect distraction and was now moments away from vanquishing him. Shoving him, she rolled and scrambled to her feet. He did the same but advanced on her, backing her into the sofa. This time, his talon tore her robe at the shoulder seam.

She glanced down at herself, placing her left hand behind her back, threw her shoulders back, and took a proud step toward him while grinning.

"I'll have it so you're begging me for more, even as you lay dying before me."

"We'll see," she teased, allowing him to approach. With her right hand seductively opening her robe further, she murmured a spell she had created the previous year so that an athame materialized in her left hand. She quickly arced that hand in an upward motion and stabbed him in the right side of his chest.

No sooner had he begun screaming in vanquishing flames than she heard a shout behind her, "What the hell is going on?"

Clutching the ends of her robe together, she spun and gasped as she came face-to-face with…herself.

"Who the hell are you?" they accused each other.

Heedless of the demon still being vanquished they eyed each other most critically before Phoebe pressed the end of her belt to her forehead and muttered, "I'm seeing things, I must be hurt was than I thought. Of course," she reached down for her half-empty glass of vodka, "maybe I'm just drunk." She wearily sat down on the sofa and swallowed before staring at her look-alike intruder. "Gotta admit, though, I love that sweater. Reminds me of the one I saw last week."

"I just bought it last week," Phoebe automatically said as she glanced at her torn sweater. "Wait a minute, what's going on? Where are Piper and Paige? Why are you in our attic and who are you?"

"It's too early in the evening for this," the sitting Phoebe declared as she ignored the questions, leaned her head back, and squeezed her eyes shut. "I've not drunk. I've got a concussion. When I open my eyes, I'll be alone…again."

"And when I open my eyes," the other Phoebe uttered as she sank onto the other end of the sofa and closed her eyes, "Coop will be back and giving me some t.l.c…ow…" She gingerly rubbed her sore temple, surprised to find blood on her fingertips. "Maybe _I'm_ the one with the concussion and dreaming."

"Coop? Why the hell would Coop come back?"

Phoebe blinked and eyed her counterpart warily, "Because we're married. Not to mention that Cupids give the best t.l.c. this side of the -"

"Married?"

"Um, yeah," she rubbed her wound with the edge of her sleeve as if that would heal it, "for over four years now."

"What? I'm sure as hell not married to Coop, not anymore."

"This's crazy," Phoebe muttered to herself. She glanced up to the ceiling and shouted, "Coop! C'mon, I need you." She ignored the snort coming from her alter-ego and worried, "Maybe he's not out of danger yet." She put more pressure to her temple and closed her eyes. "Leo! Paige!"

"Phoebe?"

Her eyes popped open to find her husband standing before her. "I'm okay," she sighed as she stood, "just could use a hug about now." But as she wrapped her arms around his waist, she felt, both physically and emotionally, his tension and confusion. "Hey, I'm okay, really. I'm not sure what happened once the door exploded but Leo can heal my cut and concussion and we'll figure it out together."

Coop seemed a bit awkward in brushing her hair back from her cut.

"Did something happen to Piper or Paige? Coop, what happened?" But he seemed distracted by something behind her and she glanced back at her double as a shiver went down her spine. "You can see her, can't you," she hesitantly stated. "I haven't been imagining her."

Coop stepped back and glanced from one woman to the other. "What happened?"

"Not a clue," she replied, "unless I'm now imagining you. Are Paige and Piper okay? What happened with the Stavler?" But when he moved away from her towards her double, she grabbed his hand. "Honey, don't. She was here when I woke up after we were attacked. She's wearing my robe, which is now ruined, by the way, and she's been drinking. I don't know how long I was out but right now I think -"

"_She_," Phoebe interrupted, "thinks we're still married."

Coop spun back to her in surprise. "Married?"

"Why are you so…Coop, honey, something's really off with you. You seem so sad and in such pain. I thought you only had a gash to your arm." She tried to push up his sleeve. "Paige said Leo healed you."

But he stepped back and cautiously told her, "I haven't been wounded and I don't think you belong here. _She_'s right; we're _not_ married anymore. Maybe you're from the past."

"Not funny," she glared at him, slapping at his chest. "I don't know why you're acting like this but we're -" The room spun around her and her knees buckled.

Phoebe watched as Coop quickly set her fainted twin on the sofa. She would have been lying to herself if she didn't acknowledge the twinge of jealousy surging through her at the tender emotions she was feeling from her ex. "Great, just what I needed tonight."

Gently patting the wounded woman's cut, Coop merely commented, "It's okay to miss me, you know. It's even okay _not_ to miss me so long as you feel _something_." He turned to his ex-wife, "This isn't you, Phoebe. Drinking so early in the evening. On Christmas of all days. Why are you up here in the attic, drinking alone, in your robe, instead of celebrating downstairs with your family?"

"None of your business," she snapped as she retied and tightened her robe's belt.

"You're so bitter and angry," he rued, "all the time, and it's gotten so the kids have noticed it, you know."

"No, I don't," she stated and crossed her arms in front of her. "And how do _you_? It's not like I keep in touch."

"No," he agreed, "you don't…Piper's concerned that Wyatt's withdrawing into himself and -"

"Piper would've said something to me," she interrupted, "and _my_ family's no longer any of _your_ concern. They haven't been for over three years."

"I still love you, Phoebe," he shook his head sadly, "even if it's not what you want to hear. And even if I didn't, I'm still a Cupid and I want to help. I thought I had reached inside and managed to…I thought I had helped save you."

"I don't need your help," she snapped. "And I don't need to be saved."

"Maybe you do," Phoebe moaned as she tried to sit up. "Time travel's always a bitch."

"Easy," Coop murmured as he helped her.

"You didn't perform any spells, did you?" she questioned her doppelganger. "Isn't there some better way to get answers than to pull ourselves through time?" She glanced at the man who evidently was no longer her husband and added, "I'd really like to get home to my husband and kids so ask your questions so I can get going."

"Kids?" Phoebe gasped. "I don't have any kids."

"Hmmm," Phoebe eyed her, "maybe I'm not from the past but your future. Although it still doesn't make sense since we," she glanced at Coop, "never split up."

"Still, I'll leave you to figure it out." Coop unexpectedly kissed her on the top of her head, "But thank you."

"For what?" she asked, missing her husband even more as she felt this man's deep pain.

He managed a slight smile, "For showing me that you found, or will find, happiness and love, even with me."

"Coop," she tugged his hand before he could disappear, "We are bonded in ways I could never have imagined when I first met you. I have never regretted one minute of our life together or our two little ladybugs. You _are_ my life."

He simply smiled and in a moment all she saw was the glowing afterimage of a red heart.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" she hissed. "Do you have any idea how much pain that man is in over you? How your words hurt him? I don't know what went wrong between the two of you but he couldn't have done anything to deserve it."

"That's right, you _don't_ know. And just because _you_ got back together with Coop doesn't mean you can invade _my_ life and start -"

"I'm not invading your, my, life, and I told you, I never left Coop," Phoebe interrupted. "So what happened? We were told that our love wasn't forbidden and we were happy. What went wrong?"

"Don't play Cupid with me, I -"

"Just answer the question. If…" she broke off when she spotted the date on the newspaper lying on the floor next to the vodka bottle. "Is that today's date?"

"Yeah, so?"

Phoebe paled and sank back into the cushions. "I don't think I've travelled through time at all." Her duplicate stared at her and she pointed to the paper, "That's _today_'s date. We'd just finished Christmas dinner when the guys were attacked in the kitchen. We ran to the Book in the attic and the last thing I remember was the door to the attic exploding."

"We weren't attacked today. Actually, it's been quiet for weeks." Phoebe thought a moment. "You mentioned a Stavler. I've never heard of it. What is it?"

"Not sure," Phoebe sighed. "The attack was so fast and Leo didn't have time to give us much. It's not in the Book and all we know is that they're rare, don't leave witnesses, and manipulate time. Maybe if the ward had held longer Paige would've had enough time to learn something in Magic School."

"Ward?"

"Sure," she shrugged. "We draw wards all the time now to help protect us. Don't you?"

"Guess it's something we should look into," she said, "and that's one more difference between our lives to convince me that you're not from my past or future but from an alternate reality."

"My thinking exactly."

"So we need to figure out how to send you back to your own reality especially before you start giving Coop any hope."

"That's something I still don't get about you but…wait a minute…realities…time and space…Cole!"

"What about him?" she warily asked.

"Cole knows all about other realms. We should just ask him," Phoebe smiled.

"Are you out of your freaking mind?"

She waved her hand in a dismissive motion, "It's the quickest, easiest, solution."

"Even if I didn't think that was the most insane idea," she sputtered, "Cole doesn't exist, in case you've forgotten."

"Did something happen to Cole here?" Phoebe panicked.

"For our realities to be so close, how could they be so different? Phoebe whispered. "Look, I don't like remembering those times so I'll say this just once. Cole. Love of my life. Became the Source," she held up her hand, "granted, unintentionally, and granted, kept my sisters alive, but was vanquished and came back from the Wasteland insane."

"He did not!"

"Became insane then, whatever. He tried to turn me evil, failed, and then he tried to recreate the world and failed again. And this time was vanquished for good. Now let's get Piper and Paige and come up with some _real_ solution for getting you back to where you belong."

Phoebe crossed her arms and leaned back, "Too bad. Because I _know_ we need Cole's help. And you're going to have to face him and -"

"Get this straight," Phoebe snapped, "there is _no_ facing Cole because there is _no_ Cole. He _doesn't_ exist."

"Of course he does. He's in limbo. Obviously you didn't know that but don't worry, I'll just do the spell and -"

"No way in hell," Phoebe shouted. "You are _not_ bringing him back into my life. I have spent the past seven years moving on with my life. I won't let you, even an alternate version of myself, ruin that for me."

"So drinking yourself into oblivion is what you call moving on?" she softly countered. "You don't have to convince me of your pain in moving on. I lived it. And I know how hard it was to fall in love with Coop, of all people. But he helped save my life, in more ways than one. If not for Coop, I'm not sure I'd have even been able to _feel_ love again. He put my heart back together. Finally. After so many others had tried. And Coop is everything to me. He _is_ my life."

"It wasn't real," Phoebe sighed, the anger draining from her, as she poured herself some more vodka. She sipped and turned back to the other version of herself. "I'm not sure why it lasted for you. Oh, I loved Coop, still do. He's right about that. But he's a Cupid. It's his nature to love. He didn't know me, not really. And I just needed someone to love. And besides, except for that other time, was a Cupid ever really what I was looking for in a man?"

She turned away and was about to drink from her glass when she stared at the clear liquid instead. "I wanted tall, dark, and dangerous. I wanted passion and excitement. I wanted -"

"Cole."

She spun to face the woman seated on the sofa and snorted, "And look how well _that_ turned out." She swigged the last of her drink.

"My God," Phoebe whispered, "you're not over Cole. I can feel it. You're still in love and you're still grieving."

"Don't be an idiot. Cole's gone but not before destroying my life," she accused.

"You don't mean that. And even if you do, you can't keep punishing Coop because of it." Phoebe stood and held her hand up to stop her double from speaking. "Don't say another word. I was bitter and angry for a long time because of Cole but eventually I grieved. And I was nearly lost. Cole tried to save me but it was Coop that truly reached me."

"Coop tried," she quietly admitted.

"He did more than try," Phoebe continued. "Coop gave me the gift of love again. Love for Cole. Because of Coop, I was able to forgive Cole and forgive myself. Because of Coop my heart was whole again. And I suppose now I will return the favor by healing _yours_."


	2. part 2

Phoebe smiled with relief at the man standing in the center of the circle of candles. "It's so good to see you."

"Happy to see me? That's new," he commented as he warily stepped out of the ring and stood before her.

"I'm always happy to see you, Cole."

"Who are you and what have you done with Phoebe?"

Phoebe tilted her head in the direction of her subdued double and he rolled his eyes, "What have you done now?"

"What makes you think I did anything?"

"Because unless one of you is a shape-shifter, whenever there are two of you it usually means a backfired spell."

She stuck out her tongue at him. "I'll have you know that there was no spell involved." She frowned, "At least I don't think so. I'm still fuzzy on what happened after the attic door exploded."

He quickly looked to the door and found it intact. "Explain," he demanded as finally noticed their pale countenances and the cuts to both their temples. "Why hasn't Leo healed you, either of you?"

"Because he's looking into things," the quiet Phoebe said. She was unable to look at him and, instead, toyed with the hem of the casual top she'd changed into while her doppelganger prepared the spell to call him.

"So, Cole, what's the deal with Stavlers?"

"Stav - Phoebe," he eyed the one who likely brought him, "what's going on? Did you come into contact with one?"

"Jury's still out on that one," she replied, "but if it had the power to send me to an alternate reality then probably."

Cole closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "They're supposed to be extinct."

"Do you want to sit down? You look a little pale." Phoebe said.

He opened his eyes and stared at the quiet version of his ex-wife but spoke to the other one, the one that still seemed genuinely happy to see him. "You're not lost anymore," he realized with mild surprise as he turned back to her.

"Nope," she smiled. She didn't feel even the slightest twinge of jealousy over the emotions she felt flowing between the two of them. "You saved me long enough for Coop to come into my life or for me to _let_ him come into my life."

"You're still with him?"

She nodded. "We have two little girls and…" She shook her head, "You don't have to hear about it. I know it's hard to watch."

He thought a moment and acknowledged, "Not as hard as watching you become more and more lost." He bent down and picked up the nearly empty bottle of vodka. He stared at it but it was swiped away before he could comment.

"We don't have all day," Phoebe informed them as she grabbed her bottle. She ignored the temptation to swallow the last of it and instead announced, "_She_ seems to think you're her only hope for getting back to her happy little world. So, Obi Wan, let's get to it while I'm still in the holiday mood."

"How can you keep doing this?" he sadly asked her as he pointed to the bottle. "Getting drunk isn't the way to move on. Believe me, Phoebe, I know. It's only going to make you more lost. Honey, as much as I love you, I don't want you to end up in limbo."

"Please," she rolled her eyes, "been there, done that. Besides, limbo's a pretty peaceful place."

"Not exactly," her look-alike corrected. "There's a lot the Zen Master didn't reveal to us about limbo. So listen to Cole, he knows what he's talking about."

"Bet you just love this," Phoebe glared at him.

He shook his head, "I hate that I've caused you pain, that I still seem to be causing you pain, but you're doing this to yourself now and if you don't -"

"Don't you dare lecture me about pain," she seethed, "if it wasn't for you -"

"Enough!" the other Phoebe shouted. "I need to get back to my world to form the Power of Three so we can vanquish this Stavler or whatever the hell it was that attacked us tonight. The two of you can work out your relationship after I'm gone."

"There is _no_ relationship," she growled.

"If you can't be helpful," Phoebe warned her doppelganger, "then go to your room. I've lost enough time here already."

"It's unlikely it was a Stavler," Cole stated as he turned back to her. "The remaining handful was wiped out nearly eighty years ago."

"Are you sure?"

"My memories as Source weren't erased when I was vanquished," he reluctantly informed her. "Stavlers were dangerous because they could move between realities and had the power to send you there. And if they sent you to one where you didn't exist…"

"Then you would cease to exist too," Phoebe understood. "It would be pointless to even try a rescue. No wonder there were no witnesses ever left."

Cole nodded, "So imagine if they could get to the Source. It wouldn't be the humans in danger but also every demon in the Underworld. The Source, each one as he rose, made it a priority to eliminate all Stavlers which was not an easy feat as they could always escape to another realm."

"As long as they knew they themselves existed in it," Phoebe realized as she set her vodka bottle down on a side table, "or they'd be eliminated the moment they entered that realm. So," she faced him, concentrating on the business at hand instead of how much better he looked than in her memory, "their Book pointed to a Cryptolus. What's that?"

"That," he sighed, "is a nuisance. They're _not_ extinct, close but not quite. They breed in hiding so they're hard to find."

"But Leo was so sure he'd seen a Stavler. How could he be wrong?"

"Leo?" Cole uttered. "Really? Is he that different in your realm, Phoebe?"

"Not nice," both Phoebes retorted.

Cole bit back a smile. "A Cryptolus can send something, or someone, to another realm but, unlike a Stavler, they don't have any control over _which_ realm. It's more automatic than deliberate which is why Stavlers are the higher priority of kill. Think of a Crypto as a bloodhound of sorts. Someone sets them on a trail and they stick to it until the being is found. Once found, they use their innate ability to remove the being from this realm."

"Do they retrieve?" Phoebe asked hopefully.

He shook his head. "They probably aren't even aware of _where_ they send the being and, unless ordered, would be unlikely to concern themselves with tracking the same being again."

"Guess I should consider myself lucky I landed up in a place where I still existed," she quietly said without much enthusiasm as she wondered if she would ever again see her husband or daughters.

Not taking his eyes off her, he asked _his_ ex-wife, "Where are your sisters? I'd say all you need is a Power of Three spell."

"Can't _you_ take me home?"

He tentatively reached out to caress her cheek, "I don't have that power anymore, Phoebe. I _am_ sorry."

She covered his hand with hers, "It's okay, Cole."

Phoebe watched the tender moment and surprisingly felt more jealous of them than when Coop had interacted with her duplicate earlier. And it was more than she was willing to handle at the moment. "I'll get Piper and Paige." And she fled from the room.

* * *

Phoebe stared at the empty doorway and sighed. "I don't remember being in that much denial and pain."

"Time has a funny way of healing," he quietly said.

She reached out to touch his arm, "I love you, Cole. Always have, always will."

"But?"

"But," she met his gaze, "as I told you in my world when I wanted to set you free from limbo, my life is with Coop."

"I see."

"That's what you said then, too," she smiled. "I don't mean to hurt you," she swore as she wrapped her arms around his waist. "You will _always_ hold a piece of my heart. But I want to be with Coop. _He_ is my destiny."

"Once upon a time," he quietly confessed, "I thought _I_ was your destiny."

"Me too," she whispered.

The stood that way a few moments, arms wrapped around each other, until he finally said. "At least you're happy." He gently pried her from him and added, "You've found love again and you're at peace. That's what I wanted."

She brought her palm to his cheek, "Not exactly, but thank you anyway."

He smiled at her and was about to say something when the other Phoebe, _his_ Phoebe, returned with her sisters. "Piper," he nodded, "looks like the secret's out now."

"Looks like," she sheepishly shrugged before acknowledging her sisters, "I thought I was doing the right thing by not telling you."

"You were," he assured her. "If I'd wanted her to know, I would've told her myself."

"Maybe you should've let me decide for myself," Phoebe said with annoyance to both. "It was only _my_ life you were playing with."

"We weren't playing," Piper stated. "And," she pointed to her younger sister's double, "this isn't the time."

"Oh," Phoebe grinned, "don't mind me. I'm almost enjoying this bit of déjà vu."

"Well I'm not," her duplicate told her, "so let's get this show on the road."

Paige took some chalk, started marking up one of the attic walls, and explained, "When we say the spell, a portal should open here and all you have to do is step through."

"Ready?" Piper asked when Paige stepped back to her side.

Phoebe turned to Cole and asked, "Do you need me to say the spell or…"

"I can get back on my own," he told her.

"How about now," the other Phoebe muttered under her breath. She reluctantly apologized when all eyes shot to her.

Her double sighed sadly, "You really need to let someone in. You can't keep going on like this."

"She'll be okay," Piper told her visitor. "We'll make sure of it. Now, let's get you back home so you can deal with your demons."

"A Power of Three spell should be enough to vanquish it but stand close together and don't make any sudden movements or you might find yourself in another realm again," Cold informed her. "Once it's gone, concentrate on who sent Cryptolus to track you. They're the real threat."

"Thanks," she nodded, "we'll take care of it."

"I'm sure you will," he couldn't help but smile.

"Ready?" Paige asked this time as she held a sheet of paper in front of her sisters.

Phoebe took a step towards the wall with the chalk drawing but changed her mind and rushed to the Book. "Just a minute." She flipped to approximately where she should find her spell, not really surprised to find the page blank. Reaching for the marker kept next to the Book, she quickly wrote the spell she'd created nearly four years ago, shortly after she'd married Coop.

"I hope that isn't what I think it is," Cole told her.

She shrugged as she closed the marker and the Book of Shadows and moved toward the wall again, "And if it is?"

Cole turned to the sisters, "Find the page and burn it."

"Why?" Piper warily asked. She glared at her sister's double, "What did you write?"

"A spell to release Cole…for good," her own sister whispered instead.

Phoebe nodded and assured her, "You would've come up with it on your own. I just sped things up for you."

"How many times have I told you – I don't want your interference."

"And Grams says everything happens for a reason so deal with it." She brushed her fingertips along Cole's arm as she moved past him and faced the wall.

"No, Phoebe," Cole quietly said as he grabbed her hand. He brought it to his lips. "Thank you but it's not what _I_ want."

She smiled and hugged him one last time. "I know you feel safe in limbo but I wish you'd reconsider."

"I'm not susceptible to evil as I am in the world," he confided, "and I can help others."

"That's what you said then, too," she sighed. Then she stood on tiptoes to kiss his cheek, "There's a world out there that could benefit from having you in it. And I'm sure there's a love out there, a destiny, waiting just for you. Don't _you_ give up either."

He didn't step away and, instead, held her hand as they ignored the sisters' chant and watched the portal open.

She cast one last look to her double and warned, "Whether you want to admit your feelings or not, Cole needs closure with you. You owe him that much."

He shook his head, "Phoebe…"

She squeezed his hand, "I love you, Cole. Remember that." And she stepped through the portal.


	3. part 3

_**December 31, 2010 ~ New Year's Eve**_

Phoebe snuggled under the blankets with her husband in front of the fire and laid her head on his chest. "Thank you for staying home with me."

His fingers drew light circles on her bare shoulder. With his other hand, he pulled the blankets up tighter around them. "You don't have to thank me for wanting to be with you."

"I know," she sighed. "But it's not that often we have the chance to dress up and go out."

"I'm exactly where I want to be at midnight," he assured her. "Though I must admit, I was surprised you didn't want to go for at least a little while. Didn't you buy a dress specifically for the party?"

"It can be returned," she said as she closed her eyes and simply enjoyed his presence.

After a moment, he admitted, "I'm worried about you."

She lifted her head slightly to look at him. "Why?"

He shifted them so they were propped by the throw pillows they had earlier tossed on the floor. "Because you've been so quiet. Ever since you returned from that alternate reality."

"I'm fine, honey," she kissed his chest, "I promise."

"Phoebe…"

"Honest, Coop," she shrugged, "there's nothing more to tell you."

"You can always call him, you know."

Pulling the blanket around her, Phoebe immediately sat up and stared at her husband. "You think I'm upset about Cole?"

"I think," he carefully replied as he also sat up, "that seeing him took you by surprise and unsettled you."

"I've never kept my feelings about him a secret," she reminded him. "You know a part of me will always love him."

"I know," he acknowledged. "But I also know that there's something going on with you right now, something you're afraid to share."

"Not afraid, exactly," she admitted as she slowly turned to face the fire. She pulled the blanket tighter when she shivered unexpectedly.

Coop hesitated before lightly rubbing her back. "Talk to me, my love."

She took a deep breath. "I told you what she was like…Was I that bad?"

He drew her close to him again and quietly spoke in her ear. "There was a lot going on in your life when I met you. You were trying to assert some independence from your sisters, your column was a huge success, and you were dealing with the threat of the Triad."

"But was I _that_ bad?" she repeated.

"I don't believe so," he honestly told her. "From what your father warned me before I proposed, you -"

"He what?"

He smiled, "You were his little girl and he only wanted to make sure you wouldn't be hurt again."

Phoebe's eyes narrowed, "Hmmm…"

Coop chuckled, "I think we first bonded when you defeated Christy and the Triad and he realized that I was in love with you. When I came to ask him for your hand, he was just cementing the deal."

"I think I'll be having a little chat with Dad next week," she decided.

He kissed her, "Let it be, love. He knows you're happy and that's all he cares about."

She gave a little snort and asked, "So what were you saying before I interrupted?"

"Just that he explained to me how it was for you in the months following Cole's vanquish."

"Which one?" she sighed.

"Both," Coop kissed the top of her head. "Victor felt helpless at times when he couldn't reach through your anger and pain. It was hard for him to watch you lose your way. And then, things seemed to change for the better. After Drake came into your life, you seemed to find your way back to -"

"But it was Cole," Phoebe interrupted. "Sure, I was attracted to Drake but Cole was the one who sent him."

"Something you didn't find out until Piper confessed."

"Right before you proposed," she recalled.

He swept some hair from her eyes. "I think she wanted to make sure you wouldn't regret saying yes if you found out the truth about Cole _after_ I proposed."

"She didn't want either of us hurt," she nodded, "or Cole either I suppose. She wanted me to know he was still there if I wanted him to be." She gazed into her husband's eyes, "I worried you, didn't I? You weren't sure I would stay with you if I saw Cole again."

He lightly pressed his lips to hers before he whispered, "No, I wasn't sure."

"But you let me have that chance. You let me find closure with Cole even if it might have meant starting over with him."

He shrugged with a slight smile, "I'm a Cupid, I believe in love."

She turned back to face the fire but snuggled against him, pulling his arm tighter around her, covering his hand with hers.

"What's scared you, love?" he quietly encouraged.

"I don't think I ever realized," she finally admitted, "how close I was to being lost. I mean truly being lost. Cole had very reason to use whatever means to save me even if it meant practically killing Piper. He was also right to keep it secret because I'm not sure, even then, when I thought I'd come to terms with my past with him, that I would have accepted his involvement."

"Still, it was a temporary fix," Coop mused. "I had my hands full when we met."

She smiled, "Didn't make it easy for you, huh." She brought their hands to her lips and kissed his fingertips. "Seeing her, though, a different version of me, gave me a different perspective on how I was at that time."

"It sounds to me like she never moved on with her life."

"She tried," Phoebe told him. "She honestly loved you, well, her you, to the best she could but her heart had never truly healed, not like mine did."

Coop kissed the top of her head again. "Were you worried, seeing him again?"

"Maybe a little," she admitted. "It's been four years since I've seen him. I wasn't sure how I'd react, how much _want_ I would feel. But when we were left alone, it was so easy talking to him. I felt the love but I didn't feel the pull. Does that make sense?"

"Love comes in many forms," he reminded her. "Perhaps you no longer feel it for him as a lover but as a close friend."

"Maybe," she considered.

They were quiet for a while, content in listening to the fire crackle before them. "Coop, do you think I did the right thing? Forcing him on her? I mean, she was right. We didn't really need Cole to send me home. All we needed was the Power of Three."

"You gave them a chance, my love," he murmured in her ear, "and how can a chance for love be anything but right?"

She twisted in his embrace and brought her lips to meet his. "Enough talk about chances for me and Cole," she huskily demanded, "just show me again that my choice to be with you is right."

"Again and again," he promised as he gently pushed her back to the floor.

And the New Year's celebration outside in the city was lost to the couple only concerned with loving each other for that night, for eternity.

_**

* * *

December 31, 2010 ~ New Year's Eve**_

Phoebe snuggled under the blankets with him in front of the fire and laid her head on his chest. "Thank you for staying with me."

His fingers drew light circles on her bare shoulder. With his other hand, he pulled the blankets up tighter around them. "You don't have to keep thanking me for wanting to be with you."

"I know," she sighed. "But I feel like I should be shouting to the world that I have been such an idiot because love _can_ triumph over evil."

"Give it time, Phoebe," he chuckled, "it's only been a week."

She thought a moment, a smile growing, "Of course, I do keep picturing the look on Elise's face if I would've shown up to the party tonight with _you_ on my arm."

Cole pinched her upper arm, "If I didn't know you better, I'd think -"

"Too much," she interrupted, "as usual."

This time, he resorted to tickling her, stopping only when she begged him for mercy. He pulled her close again and admitted, "It's nice to hear you laugh. Truly laugh."

She tensed and then pulled away, tugging one of the blankets with her. She turned to face the fire. "Are you sorry?"

"For tonight? Phoebe, I am exactly where I want to be at midnight," he assured her.

"I don't mean tonight," she corrected. "I mean being here in general. You were so insistent about staying in limbo."

"I meant what I said," he acknowledged. "I _do_ feel safer there but not just because of the evil," he confessed as he touched her shoulder, "but because of you. I wasn't sure I could exist in a world where you didn't want me."

She hunched her shoulder up so his hand would touch her cheek. But she didn't turn her head to face him. "Until _she_ appeared, I'm not sure I _did_ want you."

After a moment, he admitted, "I'm worried about you."

Now she turned her head slightly to look at him. "Why?"

He held open his arms and waited for her to move back into them. He propped the throw pillows they had earlier tossed on the floor and comfortably settled back against them. "Because you've been so quiet. Ever since she returned to that alternate reality."

"I'm fine, honey," she kissed his chest, "I promise."

"Phoebe…"

"Honest, Cole," she shrugged, "there's nothing more to tell you."

"You can always call him, you know."

Phoebe immediately sat up and stared at her lover. "You think I'm upset about _Coop_?"

"I think," he carefully replied as he also sat up, "that seeing him took you by surprise."

"So did seeing you and yet here we are," she snapped.

"Here we are," he agreed. "But there's something going on with you right now, something you're afraid to share."

"Not afraid, exactly," she admitted as she slowly turned to face the fire. She pulled the blanket tighter when she shivered unexpectedly.

Cole hesitated before lightly rubbing her back. "Talk to me, Phoebe."

She took a deep breath. "You saw what she was like. But I…I could _feel_ it. I could feel her emotions. She loves you, Cole, as much as I do. But the love she has for Coop, her Coop I mean, is something I've never experienced. No wonder she was so angry with me."

He drew her close to him again and quietly spoke in her ear. "It's not a competition. And I don't need to be a Cupid to know the depth of your love for me."

"But what if something's missing?" she insisted. "What if we fail because -"

"If we fail, it won't be because of love. Our problems never centered on a lack of love, Phoebe," he honestly told her.

"If that were true," she whispered, "you wouldn't have needed Drake."

"After Drake came into your life, you seemed to find your way back to -"

"But it was _you_," Phoebe interrupted. "Sure, I was attracted to Drake but you were the one who sent him."

"Something you didn't find out until just last week."

She gazed into his eyes, "I worried you, didn't I? After she stepped through the portal, you weren't sure I would want you to stay for a few minutes, much less a lifetime."

He lightly pressed his lips to hers before he whispered, "No, I wasn't sure."

"But you let me have that chance. And you encouraged me to find closure with Coop even if it might have meant starting over with him."

He shrugged with a slight smile, "He's a Cupid, he believes in love."

She turned back to face the fire but snuggled against him, pulling his arm tighter around her, covering his hand with hers.

"What's scared you, babe?" he quietly encouraged.

"I don't think I ever realized," she finally admitted, "how close I was to being lost. I mean truly being lost. Until I saw how happy she was and what my life should have been like, I had no idea what shape I was really in." She brought their hands to her lips and kissed his fingertips. "Seeing her gave me a different perspective on how I've been and I guess it was more effective than anything you or Coop ever tried to get me to see."

"It sounded like she truly moved on with her life…with him."

"She did," Phoebe told him. "She honestly loves you, well, her you, but she needs him."

Cole kissed the top of her head again. "Were you worried, seeing him again?"

"Maybe a little," she admitted. "It's been three years. I wasn't sure how I'd react, how much _want_ I would feel. But, after your brief return to limbo, when I called him, it was so easy talking to him, like it used to be. I still felt the love but I didn't feel the pull. Does that make sense?"

"Something I've learned from limbo," he informed her, "is that love comes in many forms and maybe now you can love Coop as a close friend rather than a lover."

"Maybe," she considered.

They were quiet for a while, content in listening to the fire crackle before them. "She was right, you know. We did need _you_. She said I would've come up with the spell eventually and maybe I would have. But if I'm going to keep my promise to you of being honest, then I have to tell you, I'm not sure I would have taken the chance with you again."

"Then let's not squander any minute of this chance," he murmured in her ear.

She twisted in his embrace and brought her lips to meet his. "So show me," she huskily demanded, "show me again how right it is to be with you."

"Again and again," he promised as he gently pushed her back to the floor.

And the New Year's celebration outside in the city was lost to the couple only concerned with loving each other for that night, for eternity.

_**and, in both realities,**_

_**they lived happily ever after…**_

_**the end**_


End file.
